The Pokémon Highschool Chronicles: The Case
by winonabcd
Summary: The gang are back, and this time, Ash is accused of stealing a prize money as big as  500. Now, Dawn, Ash, and the gang must clear Ash's name. *sequel to The Pokémon Highschool Chronicles: The Invasion. Pearlshipping, etc. Told in Ash's POV.
1. Chapter 1

"Ash! We already have these dorms and you're still going to be late!" Drew yelled, waiting for me as I changed inside the room.

It's been three months since the invasion. How'd that happen? Well, let's just say that my best girl friend (there's a difference between _girlfriend _and _girl friend_, alright people?) had a special necklace and had changed Kanto's and Sinnoh's history. Anyways, I had three minutes to change and run to class. I could do that. Maybe.

I grabbed a juice box, mainly because I was starved and I didn't have time to head to the cafeteria and grab something to eat. I stuffed my bag with finished homework, and head towards the door. "Come on man! We've only got one minute!"

"You think I'm not aware?" Drew asked, angry. All I did was laugh.

* * *

><p>I was lucky to be just on time. And I was also lucky to have English first. The teacher's always five minutes late. I looked around and saw my buds, Tracey and Leona. I waved at them. They just wave back.<p>

"Good morning students," Ms. Evans said, entering the room. I reached inside my bag, and grabbed my English notebook. Wanna hear what Ms. Evan's like? You should read my best girl friend's, Dawn, _Complete Guide to People in Pokémon Academy, Kanto_. It's hilarious.

_Class: English_

_Teacher: Ms. Evans_

_Notes: She doesn't care about anything._

_Reason for notes: Accidentally turned in my _Complete Guide to People in Pokémon Academy, Kanto _instead of my homework. She gave me an A+._

OK, so maybe it wasn't _that_ hilarious, but seriously, what teacher gave and A+ for commenting people at school? Dawn told me the homework was to write a different ending of some Shakespeare play. Maybe she just gave her an A+ for amusing her.

I was glad when the bell rang. My favorite class was up next, Battling Skills. But it was cancelled for an even more awesome event. The Battle Festivals! Every year, during this very week, a festival is held. During that week, students are allowed to bring six Pokémon of their choice and compete in a battle. The winner of the festival gets prize money of $500. I wish it was $1000, but it would still be good use. Last year, a senior won it. At least I made it to the semi-finals. But this year, I'm gonna win.

On my way to the Battle Ring, I ran into Dawn and Zoe. Dawn was telling Zoe all about the cool combinations she thought of using during the battle. Zoe looked pretty amused, though I don't really get what's so cool about contests. Gym battles rock!

"Hey Ash," Zoe said, which caught Dawn's attention.

"Hey Zo," I smiled, though I was really looking at Dawn.

"So, which Pokémon did you decided to bring?" Dawn asked, smiling mischievously.

"I'm not telling you. You'll just have to see!" I said, running farther down the hall.

* * *

><p>"First round is a one-on-one battle!" Prof. Rowan announced. "The matchups can be seen on the screen. We will have five battle rings. Different battlefields will be used. Ready? Go!"<p>

I searched for my picture on the screen. Looks like my first opponent would be Leona. I looked at Dawn's picture. She's up against May. I looked over at the two of them. They were starting to get competitive. I silently wished her good luck, and headed over to the battle ring I was assigned to.

* * *

><p>Beating Leona was easier than I thought! She chose her Swinub for the first battle, and I chose Infernape.<p>

Dawn's battle's just starting, and it's already getting me pumped.

"Alright Dawn, heads or tails?" one of the battle referees asked.

"Heads," Dawn replied, confident.

The referee tossed the coin, Revealing heads.

"All right then, Togekiss, come on out!" she said, tossing the Poké ball high in the air. Togekiss came out in midair.

"Glaceon, I choose you!" May said, courageously.

"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Dawn ordered. Togekiss sent out a powerful Air Slash.

"Use Ice Shard to counter it!"

"We're just getting warmed up! Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!"

"Quick, Glaceon, dodge it!" Unfortunately, Aura Sphere made a direct hit. And super effective.

"Glaceon, get back up!" May yelled frantically. Glaceon got back up. "Great! Now Shadow Ball!"

"Togekiss, use Sky Attack!" Togekiss used Sky Attack to dodge the Shadow Ball and head straight towards Glaceon.

"Glaceon, get ready!" May told it. She's waiting for the right moment. Dawn should watch out. Togekiss was only an inch away from Glaceon. "Now, use Ice Shard!" May instructed.

Glaceon used Ice Shard on Togekiss, causing her to be thrown back. "Now's the perfect chance Glaceon! Use Ice Shard, once more!"

"Togekiss! Get up!" Unfortunately, Togekiss didn't get up fast enough. Glaceon's Ice Shard hit Togekiss hard. "To," Togekiss said, obviously tired.

"Togekiss, get up! I know you can do it!" Dawn said.

Togekiss slowly got up, trying to stand on her feet. "Great job! Now, used Air Slash!"

"Dawn's using Air Slash so Togekiss can rest on the ground for a while," Leona said, who was watching next to me. I nodded.

Togekiss's Air Slash hit Glaceon, but since it was not very effective, Glaceon was still looking great.

"Glaceon, Mirror Coat!" Glaceon started to glow beautifully.

"Togekiss, stay," Dawn said, reassuring her with a gentle voice. "Rest for a little while." Her gaze was now on Glaceon, who was running towards Togekiss at top speed.

Dawn looked like she was thinking. "Togekiss, fly high in the sky!"

Togekiss rose up high, making Glaceon stop in its tracks.

"Glaceon, quick, use Ice Shard!"

"She's a goner," I finally said.

Leona just giggled. "She knew Glaceon was going to use Ice Shard! I bet she's going to use Sky Attack!"

"Togekiss, use spin and dive while using Sky Attack!"

Togekiss spun, then dove while using Sky Attack, breaking away all the Ice Shard in her way. She then headed straight for Glaceon, causing a direct hit. Smoke appeared on the battlefield. Togekiss emerged from the smoke, flying high into the sky.

Everyone waited until the smoke cleared. When it did, it showed a fainted Glaceon. Everyone cheered, not for Dawn's win, nor May's loss, but for an awesome battle. The only "boo" I heard was coming from behind me. I turned around and saw Drew.

"Dawn should've lost," he mumbled. I laughed, and ran down from the stands to congratulate Dawn.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dawn! Dawn" I yelled, at the top of my voice. But she didn't seem to hear me. Was the crowd really that loud? "Dawn! Dawn!" I yelled again, but she still didn't hear me. "Hey Dawn!" I said to her, tapping her shoulder as soon as I reached her.

"Oh, hey Ash. Didn't see you there," she told me, smiling. I could tell she was pretty excited.

"Congratulations on your first win. Wasn't that tough, huh?" I asked, mischievously. I knew it was pretty tough, especially for the fact that May definitely had a huge advantage.

She stared at me. "You kidding me? It was worst than tough!" I laughed.

"Yeah, I kinda figured," I said, winking at her.

"So, who are you up next?"

"Oh, I haven't checked yet. Wanna go check together?"

"Sure."

We walked over to the "Battle Board". Dawn scanned the screen for her picture. So did I. "Hey, here," I said, pointing at her picture.

"Oh great," Dawn said, sweat dropping.

I looked at the picture next to hers. She was up against Kenny. I wonder why she keeps battling coordinators. I mean, she can read coordinators, since she's one of them as well. It would be more of a challenge to battle a breeder or something. I mean, they battle completely different. "You're up against another coordinator, huh?"

She shook her head. "That's not the problem. It's Kenny. He's just…" she started, trying to find the words to finish the sentence.

I nodded, understanding what she meant. "It's hard to battle somebody you've known for such a long time. Especially since they can predict your every move. Plus, Kenny's really good. He almost beat me last year."

"Yeah, Kenny has known me ever since kindergarten. He could predict my every move. I can hardly read his. And he's really tough. How am I supposed to beat him?" she said, walking over to a bench.

I sat down next to her. "Better you than me," I said, remembering the guy I was up against.

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning closer, real curious.

I stared at the sky. "I'm up against the senior that beat me in the semifinals last year."

"Wow. That's… tough," she said, giving me space.

"Yeah, pretty rough, I guess," I said, feeling uneasy. It's not that I'm uneasy 'cause I'm up against the senior. Well, that and the fact that Dawn just placed her hand on top of mine.

"It's OK, Ash. We can do it," she looked at me, her sapphire eyes sparkling like the radiant sun. Her smile was mysterious, yet sweet. "Promise me one thing."

I looked at her, curious as ever. "What?"

She leaned a little closer. I hope she's not leaning in for a kiss. She held out her pinkie, and said, "We're going to meet and battle in this festival, no matter what."

I did the pinkie swear. "Promise."

It looked like she was going to say more, but they just called my name. I had to go the principal's office, and I didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

><p>When I got to the principal's office, Prof. Oak was there, waiting for me. I know, a Pokémon Poet doesn't seem much of a threat, but the guy who does all the threatening is the guy standing next to him, which was my worst nightmare; Prof. Rowan.<p>

Anyways, as I entered the room, I knew I was in trouble. I quickly did a brainstorm in my head of all the pranks or the list of homework I haven't done last week. Today, I had been late, but Ms. Evans doesn't know that. The only prank I pulled was a harmless prank, and I pulled it on Drew, who didn't mind it at all. But I was behind on homework since last two weeks. Maybe that was why I was called. But no one gets called to the principal's office just for being behind on homework during the Battle Festival. Usually it's before or after. So that can't be the reason as well.

"Ash Ketchum," Prof. Oak said, looking at me. I have never seen him this mad. His forehead even has wrinkles. Prof. Rowan always looks mad, no matter what. "Can you tell me why you did this?"

Whoa. This guy is nuts. He called me here, didn't even tell me what I did wrong, and start firing questions. That's not how the system goes, and believe me, I've gone through the system tons of times. "What do you mean sir?"

"Don't play games with me, Ketchum," Prof. Rowan glared at me with cold eyes. "Just come clean, and we'll let you off easy."

"I'm serious sir. I have no idea what you are talking about," I said, trying to convince him. I seriously have no idea what they're talking about.

Prof. Rowan started walking around me. "Are you sure you want to lie, Mr. Ketchum?"

"I'm not lying, sir. But if this is about me being behind on homework, I promise to do better."

"Nice try, Ketchum. This time your pranks have gone too far." This time, it was Prof. Oak who snapped at me. "We know you were the one who blackmailed us into thinking that my grandson stole the prize money for the Battle Festival. This case has your name printed all over it. Now come clean, and we'll let you go."

"The prize money was stolen?" I asked, shocked.

Prof. Rowan stifled a laugh. "Ketchum, you have exactly until the end of the festival to return the prize money or you will be expelled."

"But I didn't steal it!"

Prof. Oak looked at me coldly. "And to think I trusted you ever since I gave you your Pikachu. Go now. You do have somewhere else to be." He waved his hand, and Prof. Rowan shoved me, yes _shoved me_, outside.

What a mess this is, and for once, I wasn't the mastermind behind all of that.


	3. Chapter 3

When I got to the battle stadium, Dawn and Kenny had just finished their battle. Dawn ran to me and gave me a huge hug.

"I did it, Ash! I won!" she said, squeezing me.

I tried my best to be happy for her, but because of the stupid case, my comment sounded a little… unhappy. "That's great Dawn."

She let go of me. "Ash, are you OK?" Her eyes glimmered with concern. I love when it turns like that. It's really cute.

"No, don't worry," I said. Suddenly, my hand rose and removed a strand of hair from her face. "Just focus on the battles."

Dawn didn't believe me, and luckily, it was time for me to go have that battle. "I'll see you later, OK?" I said, feeling really down.

She nodded, held my hand and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "You can do it." She smiled, then lets go of my hand. "I'll be in the stands."

I nodded, than ran towards one of the stadiums.

"All right Ash, heads or tails?" the referee asked me.

"Tails," I said, hoping I won't go first.

I had chosen carefully for this battle. I asked Prof. Oak to transfer my Buizel to the school. I knew the senior's strongest Pokémon was Rhydon, so Buizel would have a super chance of winning. The only concern was IF he chose Rhydon.

The referee flipped his coin and then revealed heads once again. "Brian goes first." So that's his name. Brian.

I looked up in the stands and saw Dawn. She gave me a thumbs up. I smiled. I looked over at Brian, who just threw his Poké ball. I didn't hear what he just said. Hopefully, he called Rhydon out.

Just my luck! Rhydon appeared, which meant I could easily beat him. "Alright then! Buizel, I choose you!" After Buizel appeared, I hear a bunch of girls squealing. I looked over at Dawn, and she was pretty annoyed. I laughed at that.

"Alright then, let's get this battle started! Rhydon use Hammer Arm!"

Hammer Arm? Is he sure he wants to use that? By using that move, Rhydon's speed will drop, which gives me a perfect chance. "Buizel, dodge it!"

Buizel dodged Hammer Arm, but Rhydon tried to run towards Buizel. He's pretty slow.

"Rhydon, use Earthquake!"

Buizel lost his balance, and fell to the ground. "Get up Buizel!" Buizel got up, then waited for my command. "Aqua Jet!" Buizel used Aqua Jet at top speed, aiming straight for Rhydon.

"Rhydon, dodge it!" Unfortunately, Rhydon's speed fell, resulting a direct hit from Buizel's Aqua Jet.

"Yes! Buizel use Water Gun!" A powerful Water Gun shot out of Buizel's mouth, resulting Rhydon to get hit twice. I could see that Rhydon has barely enough strength to win.

"Come on, Rhydon! This is our last chance! Horn Drill!" I knew this meant trouble. If it hits Buizel, Buizel would instantly faint.

"Buizel, dodge it!" Being speedy, Buizel managed to dodge it, leaving Rhydon completely exhausted. "Great, now use Water Gun once more!" Buizel's Water Gun hit Rhydon on the stomach, and Rhydon fell to the ground.

"Rhydon, quick, get up!" Brian pleaded. "I don't want to look bad, defeated by an 8th grader!"

Rhydon slowly got up. "Great! Now use Earthquake!"

Wow is this Rhydon persistent. Buizel lost his balance again, and fell flat on the ground.

"Buizel, Ice Punch!" Buizel quickly got up, and ran straight towards Rhydon at top speed. Buizel's paw glowed and seemed to grow colder, turning to a sort of icy look. His Ice Punch hit Rhydon hard, causing him to collapse on the ground, completely exhausted.

"Rhydon is unable to battle! The winner is Ash!" the referee shouted. I looked all around me. Everyone was shouting. Everyone was calling my name. And somehow, I didn't feel great. In fact, I felt less than great. I felt guilty.

"Ash!" Dawn said, running towards me. I turned around, and she gave me a big hug, I hugged her back.

Drew appeared behind her, holding May's hand. Drew coughed as May gave a sigh. I rolled my eyes at the both of them, and mouthed _just go kiss already_. Apparently they didn't get it. Figures.

Dawn let go of me. "See, I knew you could do it!"

I smiled, though I must have looked pretty down. "OK, what's up?" Dawn asked, those cute, concerned eyes reappearing.

Drew walked over. He studied me carefully. I hope he doesn't see my concerns. The next thing I knew, I felt pain on my left cheek, and I think it was pretty red. "OW! What did you do THAT for?" I exclaimed, obviously angry with Drew for slapping me.

He shrugged. "Your face looked like it needed a good slap."

"Seriously, I'm gonna get you, and-"

Dawn held me back. "Ash, just let it go. You were saying?"

I calmed down. "Prof. Oak accused me for stealing the prize money," I said finally, taking a deep breath. "But I know I didn't do it."

May looked at Drew. I knew May was going to be like this. She'll ask me if I was sure, if I forgot stealing the money. Drew, on the other hand, looked completely calm. He didn't care if I stole it or not. At least, I think that was what his face said. Dawn was looking at me with those eyes again. But something told me she believed me. "I believe you," Dawn whispered, loud enough so only May, Drew and I can hear it.

"Seriously Dawn. You're gonna believe him just like that? Maybe he forgot!" May pointed out, obviously not believing me.

Dawn shook her head. "I know, but I believe him. Somehow, part of know he didn't lie on this one," she said, giving me a mischievous smile at the last comment. I smiled back.

Drew nodded in agreement. "If there's one thing I know about my best friend, he doesn't plan pranks like these. He's just way to dense."

I nodded, without realizing his last comment. "See?"

"I agree, you are dense," May agreed. "Maybe we should talk to Kenny. He probably knows what to do. After all, he is the brainiac in our group."

Drew nodded. "You guys go on ahead. My battle is up next." He gave May a peck on her lips, then waved a goodbye.

"You're saying Prof. Oak and Prof. Rowan's accusing you of stealing?" Kenny asked, shocked when we told him the entire story. I mean, I would be shocked I heard the story, but I won't be that shocked if it was coming from me.

"And you're saying that you believe him? The fact that he didn't steal it, I mean," Kenny asked Dawn. Dawn nodded. "The only way to clear your name is to investigate the crime."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You think I'm dumb?"

"No, I was talking to Ash," Kenny said, his eyes twinkling full of mischief.

"Then come on! Let's investigate already!" May pleaded. She's starting to act an awfully lot like Barry.

Kenny rubbed his chin. "Where do they usually keep the prize money?"

"In Prof. Oak's room," I said, remembering the time I passed the room last year. I remembered seeing a case full of money, and Prof. Oak was pinning a 1st Place on the case.

"Then we need to get permission to investigate the room. Better yet, the entire school," Kenny said. "Come on."

"Come in," I hear Prof. Oak said. He sounded awfully cheerful.

"Ah, Kenny! And Dawn! And May as well? Oh, and… Ash," his voice changed as he said my name. "What can I do for you?"

"We heard about Ash's case," Dawn said, stepping forward. She's pretty brave for doing that. It's really cute. Then again, everything she does is cute.

"Ah. _That _case," he said, frowning in my direction. "And what do you want me to do?" He looked at Dawn, revealing a cheerful smile.

"We just wanted to ask if we could investigate. We want to ask for permission to investigate every room in the school, including your room, or the principal's office," Dawn told him. I could sense a hint of fear in her voice, but she tried to look brave. Dawn hardly get into trouble. She's a perfect student. Plus, she's Prof. Rowan's favorite student.

"Does the request include dorms?" Prof. Oak asked. Dawn never looked so scared in her life before.

"No," Kenny said, saving Dawn.

Prof. Oak nodded in agreement. "You have my permission. Now go, I have something to do."

We left the room, and Dawn looked really pale. I squeezed her hand. "Dawn, you OK?"

She shook her head. "That wasn't Prof. Oak."

May looked at her like she was as dense as me. "What do you mean? Of course that was Prof. Oak! We saw him with our own eyes!"

I squeezed her hand tighter. "Are you sure Dawn?"

Dawn just stared at the wall in front of her. Her face was really pale now, and she looked like she was about to faint. I looked at my two friends. "I'll take her to the nurse. See you at lunch." I held her hand tight, and gave a silent prayer wishing she were all right.


	4. Chapter 4

"She seems fine," the nurse said, after checking her temperature a few times.

"Please miss. Dawn's looking real bad. Her face is getting paler by the second," I said, looking at her beautiful face.

"She'll be fine, as long as she rest. She can't go to school tomorrow, though. She'll have to rest in her room."

I nodded, and went grabbed her hand. "Come on, Dawn."

When we arrived outside, Dawn's face returned to normal. She hugged me tight. "Ash, I'm so afraid."

"No need to worry, Dawn. I'm here," I stroked her hair. "I'm here."

"Hey guys," Dawn said, sitting down on our lunch table. Did I mention the battle only last half of the school day?

I looked over at Drew. He seemed pretty bummed. I'm guessing he lost his battle. Barry, on the other hand, was super psyched. I'm guessing he won. Actually, I'm not guessing. I know. I heard Barry shout, "I beat you Drew! I beat you! In your face!" again and again, ever since I arrived in the cafeteria.

May looked at me, then at Dawn. Dawn still looked bummed, but she definitely looked better. I gave nodded, telling May she's all right. May gave a sigh of relief.

"So, what's up, Dawn?" Zoe asked, looking at Dawn. "Lost any battles today?"

Dawn shook her head. "It's just… never mind."

"Come on, Dawn! Tell us. We're your best friends!" Misty begged.

Dawn watched me sit down next to her at the end of the table. I nodded, telling her it's OK to tell them the case. "It's just… Ash got in trouble. Prof. Oak and Prof. Rowan accused him of stealing the prize money for the battle. And we all know he didn't do it."

Leona looked at her blankly. "You sure, Dawn? I mean, knowing Ash, it _would _be possible."

Dawn shook her head. "I know he didn't do it."

Zoe and Misty share a look. Barry just looked at Kenny. Finally, Zoe spoke up, "Are you sure?"

Dawn was about to reply, when Kenny spoke up, "It's true. I believe Ash and Dawn as well."

"So what we gonna do about it? Ash is in trouble, end of sentence. No way we can fix it. And there's no way I'm getting into trouble," Barry said, slurping the last of his chicken soup.

I looked at Kenny, mouthing the words, _just tell them already!_ Kenny nodded, understanding what I meant. He leaned in closer, and whispered, "Don't worry. I got a plan."

Since we got permission to search the school during any time of day, we decided to do it right after school. Kenny divided us into groups of two. He had stashed five walkie-talkies in his room, even though his dad forbids him. It was time to get to work.

Misty and Tracey went together, Barry and Kenny, Zoe and Leona, May and Drew and Dawn and me. Tracey said they were going to cover the Sports Area, Kenny the science-related areas and the computer room, while Zoe and Leona cover the Breeding, Contest and Battling Areas. May and Drew will cover the top floor, which includes Prof. Oak's room and the teachers' lounge. That leaves Dawn and me with the rest of the classrooms.

I grabbed some sodas and a sandwich just in case I got hungry, then head over to Dawn's room. Technically, I'm not allowed in the girls' dorms and vice versa, but I stormed in anyways. When I finally got to Dawn's room, I knocked on the door, waiting for her to appear.

She came out wearing a black vest on top of a plain white t-shirt and black shorts and black converse. She had her hair in a ponytail, and wore a hair clip. She looked stunning, even with such a simple look. Her midnight blue hair seemed to be glowing among all that white and black she was wearing. She looked amazing. I looked down to what I was wearing; a blue hoodie on top of a random black t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and a red hat. I wondered what she thought of my look.

"So, ready to go?" Dawn asked me.

"You're not surprised I stormed into girls' territory?" I said, surprised myself.

She shook her head, then giggled. "Nope, not one bit. I knew you would. You're not afraid to break a few rules," she told me sticking her tongue out.

I smiled. Dawn just got here three months ago, and it felt like we've known each other for years. She knows every single fact about me, though I don't think I know everything about her.

We went in the building and headed for the nearest classroom; my homeroom. When we got in, it looked tidy except for one desk in the corner. Dawn turned to me and asked, "Your desk?"

I nodded. It was pretty clear. I guess the janitor hasn't cleaned the class yet. But the other tables were completely spotless. Every one of them has been wiped clean, and even the floor showed my reflection. Dawn was studying my desk. Her fingers traced my name, which I carved on the wooden desk. She was smiling, humming a song to herself. I couldn't help but walk over.

"Um… Dawn?" I asked, hoping to get her attention.

"Hmm?" She looked at me, not really concentrating.

"The case?" I told her, reminding her why we were here in the first place.

She snapped out of her daydream. "Oh yeah! Sorry."

This time, she studied the whole room. "That's funny. I get a strange feeling that your desk was left untidy for a reason."

I nodded, seeing what she meant. "Maybe if we look around, we'll get some kind of clue."

I scanned the bookshelves. Nothing seemed weird. Dawn checked the teacher's table, and found absolutely nothing. We kept searching until we were sure there was nothing left to search. I collapsed on my own chair. Dawn sat down next to me, thinking. I looked at her eyes. They were looking straight at my desk. That's when it hit me. "My desk!"

Dawn almost fell out of her chair. "Ash you startled me!" she said, hitting my arm softly.

"Sorry," I said, grinning. "But I just realized something. We haven't checked my desk." I reached in and grabbed whatever paper I could find there. _History homework, English papers, Math Exams, Letter for mom…_ I read silently in my head.

Suddenly, Dawn grabbed one of the papers. "Hey what's this?"

I looked at it. On the top, it said, _OPERATION KETCHUM._

"But look, the rest is blank," Dawn said, pointing to the blank part.

"It seems like this is a trap," I whispered, looking around.

Dawn nodded. "But this is only part of it."


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't sleep well that night. I kept tossing and turning, thinking about what Dawn had said. _This is only part of it, _she had said. I shudder and thought of what might be up next. If I wasn't careful, I could get expelled. But who would want to get me expelled?

20 minutes later, I wrote down a list of people who would want to get me expelled. I reread them one by one. _Tripp, no, he's kinda nice… I guess. Gary? He's really friendly now. Brian? After one stupid battle? And besides, I was called before the battle even started! _I ran down through the list, reading the names of people that might have developed hatred over me. And finally I reached the last name. _Paul. _

The next day, I woke up early. I quickly checked my homework (I needed a couple of As in order to pass 8th grade) and stuffed them in my bag. I put the letters for Mom, which I found in my desk with Dawn the other day. I quickly put them inside an envelope and mailed it to her (we have this mailbox thing outside each dorm). I quickly put on my white top and a blue hoodie, my signature hat and some jeans. I grabbed my socks and shoes, and headed out the door.

"Ash!" I heard a voice behind me call. I turned around to see my crush.

"Hey, Dawn. Early riser?" I asked, poking her.

She laughed. "I think I'm the one that's supposed to ask you." She said, winking. I blushed at this comment. _Hope she didn't notice, _I wished silently in my head.

"So… why'd you wake up early?" I said, breathing in her perfume. I grinned while doing so; it was the only thing that kept me awake during Prof. Rowan's lectures.

"I know you've got this whole case thing going on, but I was wondering if we could hang out later today. I mean, I know it's Tuesday, and we're not supposed to go off campus on school nights, but we could hang out at the campus park or something, right?"

I nodded. "Sure Dawn, I would like that. So at the school park later today?"

She smiled. "Yep. Meet you there at three!" She waved at me, before running towards her homeroom.

I watched her soft, silk blue hair swish back and forth while she ran. I sighed. I can't wait for later today.

* * *

><p>"Buizel, use Water Gun!"<p>

"Pachirisu, use Discharge!"

I stood in the stands, watching Dawn battle against a fellow classmate of mine. His name was Dre, probably the shyest guy in class. Though he might be shy, He's an awful good battler. But Dawn here was kicking his butt. I watched as the Water Gun suddenly dissolved into nothing.

"Swift!" Dre called out, obviously frustrated.

Dawn smiled slyly. Even from the stands, I could tell she knew this was coming. "Pachirisu, used Discharge once more!"

The shot of stars suddenly became nothing more than sparkling dust floating down slowly. The crowd oohed and aahed, watching the dust. I was pretty impressed. Dawn's coordinating skills were impressive. But let's just hope she didn't forget this was a battle.

"Face it Drew, you are no match! You stand zero chance! Pachirisu, finish this off with Spark!" Dawn yelled pointing her finger directly at Buizel.

A huge amount of electricity surrounded Pachirisu, and it began running at top speed.

"Aqua Jet!" The crowd stopped cheering. Everyone was thinking the same thing. _Is he CRAZY? _Buizel would get badly hurt, not to mention the pressure he was taking from all those useless attacks on Pachirisu.

Buizel hesitated first, but then trusted its trainer. A blast of water surrounded him, and he was floating above the ground at top speed. As the electric and water moves collided, steam was released on the battlefield.

Everyone leaned in to get a better view of the end. I crossed my fingers, hoping Dawn had won her battle against Dre. The pressure was on everyone, as I watched people around me cross their fingers, wishing and hoping that Dawn had won.

As the smoke cleared, the referee raised the flag on Dawn's side. "Buizel is no longer able to battle. That means Dawn and Pachirisu are the winner!"

I watched Pachirisu run towards Dawn, who waited for it to leap into her arms. I'm glad Dawn won her battle, I really am. My battle ended earlier, and I was announced victorious. I ran down the stands to congratulate her.

"Dawn! Congratulations!" I said, hugging her tightly.

"Thanks," she said, breaking the embrace. "Sorry I wasn't there to watch you battle."

I shrugged. "That's fine. What's important right now is the fact you've won."

She smiled that beaming, radiant smile. "Thanks Ash. Why not we go check the Battle Board now?"

I nodded, following her. "I didn't know you were a talented coordinator."

She blushed crimson red at this, then simply nodded. "Thanks."

"You know, they're combining the Breeding, Battling and Coordinating Skills Classes for today, so we could teach one another something that might be handy during the Battle Festival," I said, not even looking at her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her look at me. "Really?"

I looked at her and nodded. "Yep, and they've posted the groups on the bulletin board next to the Battle Board."

Dawn beamed at this. "That would be pretty cool. That way, I could get inside your mind when I battle you," she said, smirking.

"Don't forget that I would be able to predict your moves too!" I said, laughing with her.

I suddenly heard a voice behind me. "Congratulations on your win, Dawn."

Dawn and I turned around to see Barry behind us. "Oh, and of course Ash too."

"Ha-ha, very funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

Barry squeezed between the two of us, the placed his arms on both our shoulders. "So, where you guys headed?"

"The Battle Board. Oh, and the bulletin board next to it," Dawn said, winking at me.

"Cool! I'm coming with! I need to find out who I'm up against!" Barry said, pretty psyched.

"You won?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah! What did you? I lost? For the millionth time! MY DAD'S THE BATTLE FRONTIER BRAIN! WHICH MEANS… I NEVER LOSE!" Barry exclaimed, frustrated.

Dawn and I rolled my eyes, and continued walking towards the boards. Once we arrived, I scanned the board for my picture. From the previous battle, it looked like Barry had defeated Tracey, which means he was out of the game. And now, I'm up against him. Meanwhile, Dawn was up against a girl I've never noticed before. Actually, come to think of it, I've never even seen her.

"Cool! I'm up against Helen!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Helen? Who's Helen?" Barry and I asked.

Dawn giggled. "You wouldn't know her 'cause she take Coordinating Skills. She's like the best student in class."

"Then why are you psyched to battle her?" Barry exclaimed, thinking she was nuts.

"Because I finally get to improve! This could mean a lot of experience for both me and Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed jumping up and clapping her hands at the thought.

"Well, she does like to look at things from the positive point of view," I pointed out to Barry. Barry just nodded at my comment, but rolled his eyes to point out that my comment was pretty stupid.

Dawn hit him in the elbow. "OW! What was that for?"

"For not supporting me," Dawn said. She moved to the bulletin board and quickly scanned her name.

"Dawn Berlitz, Dawn Berlitz, Dawn Berlitz…" Dawn recited to herself. Barry and I just watched her scan the list. "Aha! Here! And for my Breeding Skills partner, I got a girl named Sarah Evans and as for Battling Skills, I got…" she stopped, smiling. "Well, well, well. It looks like I got Ash."

I smiled at this. Barry pushed Dawn aside, but I caught her just in time. She looked up to me and smiled. My heart melted as she did so. So the best thing to do was just to simply smile back.

"Cool! I'm teamed up with Kenny and Leona!" Barry exclaimed.

"At least you got two good babysitters," Dawn joked. I started laughing helplessly.

"Hey!" Barry exclaimed, but Dawn and I just ran away. "Come back or I'll fine you! You've got 10 seconds to pay! 10, 9, 8, 7…" His voice suddenly drifted into nothingness as we ran further and further. Well, that and the fact that the bell was ringing loudly.


	6. Chapter 6

"And it's important to make sure you're Pokémon is perfectly fine and fit before it battles," Sarah Evans concluded.

I yawned. It felt like a lecture! She's been giving us a list of things to do before a battle, and it's been like 10 minutes already!

Dawn poked me on the arm, "Lighten up, will you?"

I smiled back, looking in her crystal blue eyes. They shone like sapphires lighting up a cave.

Sarah cracked my thought into two. "If it's _that _boring, then I suppose you have something better to share, right _Ash_?" she asked, obviously annoyed.

"It's really good to research your opponent before you battle them. Then you get to see which 6 Pokémon they are using during the Battle Festival, making it easier to plan a strategy," I said.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We all know that, _Ash_." Do you really have to emphasize my name?

Sarah turned to Dawn and smiled sweetly. "Anything you want to share, dear?"

Dawn smiled back warmly. "Yep. Even at a disadvantage, you still can win a battle by using the moves your Pokémon know as a shield. Like what I did with Pachirisu later today," Dawn explained. "And combining moves together can sometimes even cause triple the damage."

"Like what?" I asked, dumbfounded. We were supposed to show each other the tips we were sharing, but so far, because of Ms. I-Know-It-All-And-You-Don't, we just shared it, without demonstrating.

"Let me show you," Dawn said, grabbing a Poké Ball. "Ash, can you please ask Buizel to come out?"

I nodded and threw my Poké Ball in the air. "Buizel, I choose you!"

Buizel came out, more determined than ever.

"Alright, Buneary, I need your help!" Dawn said enthusiastically.

Buneary came out, and started hopping all over the place.

"Ash, tell Buizel to spin and use Aqua Jet as soon as I give my command to Buneary," Dawn said, winking at her Pokémon. She's so cute. Dawn, I mean.

I nodded, and she quickly shouted, "Buneary, Ice Beam! Directly at Buizel!"

"Buizel, spin and use Aqua Jet!" I commanded. What I thought was going to happen was that Buizel would use Aqua Jet's speed to dodge the Ice Beam, and land a direct hit. But it seemed Buneary knew what she was doing.

Buizel used Aqua Jet and dodge the Ice Beam by a few centimeters, but Buneary quickly froze the Aqua Jet. I panicked. What would happen now?

To my surprise, Buizel was in frozen ice, aiming straight for Buneary. But before it even hit her, Buneary leaped in the air, spinning right next to the frozen Aqua Jet, causing Buizel to aim and crash the ground. I looked at Buizel who was now unable to battle.

"How did Buneary do that? And how did that happen?" I asked, shocked.

Sarah snickered. "It's very hard to predict a coordinator. They've got millions of tricks up their sleeve. And Buneary did that because she was trained to dodge attacks with grace. Dawn didn't have to tell it to dodge, because it's a coordinator's Pokémon. Unlike some others," she said plainly, eyeing Buizel, who is still lying unconscious on the ground.

My hands turned into fists, and I was fuming with rage. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Dawn placed her hand on my shoulder, surprising me. She shook her head. I calmed down.

"Anyways, what I told you to do just there was Ice Aqua Jet, or a frozen solid Aqua Jet," she said winking. "You cancelled the opponent's move, or in this case, Buneary's move, by using it as an advantage. Those are called combinations."

I nodded, while I listened to Sarah snicker. I rolled my eyes. Luckily, the bell rang, and Dawn and I are now able to go to the campus' park.

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><p>"Ugh, I hate that Sarah girl! She's so annoying!" I said in frustration, as I fell onto the soft grass in the campus park's meadow.<p>

Dawn nodded. "She's such a b…" she began, but then stopped.

I sat on the grass then looked up to her. "Don't say bad words much, do you?"

"I try to avoid them," she said, sitting down next to me.

We were quiet for a while. Some of the students would pass by and whisper something and would giggled as they watched us.

I decided to break the silence. "I'm hungry!" I yelled, scaring the flock of Pidgeot.

Dawn giggled. "I kinda figured. That's why I brought this bag of chips with me. Sorry it's not much," she said, taking out the chips.

I smiled. "Anything will do."

"I actually never thought of researching my opponents' Pokémon. I just think of which Pokémon will be good in the round, like a Contest Battle."

I shook my head, swallowing some chips. "No, it's different. In contest battles, you have to… lower your opponent's points, is it?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, in battles, you have to-"

"Knock you opponent down," Dawn and I said together. I blushed, looking down. From the corner of my eye, I could see her cheeks turn pink as she slowly turn away.

"Anyways, it'll be good to do some research. Who's your next opponent again?"

"Helen. Can we look her up here?"

I nodded. "You know the campus cell? The one they give out when you enroll? The one that was only designed to call your parents, the school and the school nurse? The one that looks like an iPhone? It has an app that allows you to check your opponents' data during Battle Festivals. The data changes every year," I said, taking out my campus cell. (Campus cells were the only types of cell phones that were allowed on school ground during weekdays [Mon - Fri 6.00 A.M. - 6.00 P.M.])

"They have an app like that on the campus cell? I didn't know that!" she said, taking hers out. She scanned the specially made apps on her campus cell. I took her cell, causing our fingers to touch. We both blushed once again, but tried to ignore the fact.

I quickly found the app and showed it to her. "Here. Which grade is she in? Oh wait, she must be in the 8th," I said, tapping the 8th Grade in the main menu.

"Here, let me type her name," Dawn said, grabbing her cell. She quickly typed Helen's name, including her last name. "Here she is!"

She tapped her name to reveal a girl with golden locks and a blue ribbon in her hair. "I've never seen her before."

Dawn smiled at me as she scanned Helen's data for her six Pokémon this year. "Here it is!"

I looked over and looked at the six Pokémon she chose for this special event. "A Growlithe, a Bayleaf, a Raichu, a Roserade, a Squirtle and…" I frowned. I've never seen this one before.

"A Sneasel," Dawn finished.

"What's a Sneasel?" I asked, curious.

"It's an ice type and a dark type. It can only be found in the Sinnoh Region, near Snowpoint City, to be exact," she explained, looking at the picture of the Pokémon in awe.

"You mean where Zoe comes from?" I asked.

She nodded. "I have a feeling she's going to use Sneasel."

Suddenly, a voice rang out, "How'd you read my mind?" We looked up to see Helen.

"I saw you battle in class, and Sneasel's really graceful," Dawn explained.

Helen blushed. "Thanks. Even though you know what I'm going to use, I'm still gonna stick with it."

I was shocked. "But why?"

Helen looked pretty shocked as well. "To think up some good combinations that will turn the situation around, duh!" she laughed.

"Oh," I said, blushing.

Helen looked at me fondly. "Well, I better get going." And with that, she disappeared.

I looked at Dawn who started shaking terribly. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Her combinations are always fierce. She never loose. Now that she knows that I know what kind of Pokémon she'll be using, then there's no doubt she's gonna plan an awesome combination that will finish Cyndaquil in one blow," she said, laying her soft, delicate face on her smooth knees.

Without realizing what I was doing, I put my index finger on her chin, pushing it up slowly. I put my hand on her cheek, then whispered, "I know you can do it. You're talented and smart. You'll find a way."

Dawn smiled weakly. We stared at each other's eyes. Her sapphire eyes captivated me, as mine with her. Our faces started getting closer and closer, and I could tell that both our faces were getting hotter. Just as our lips were about to touch and as we were about to be locked in a magical kiss, Kenny appeared.

"Guys!" he shouted.

Dawn and I quickly went back to our old positions, my face far away from hers.

"We were supposed to continue searching an hour ago!" Kenny exclaimed, frustrated.

"Searching for what?" I asked, looking pretty dense.

"For clues to prove your innocence," Dawn whispered, checking her watch. _It's only 4.00 P.M. for pete's sake!_

"Right, I knew that," I said, scratching my head. Dawn just shook her head, her face still red as beet.

Kenny stared at us. "Are you guys OK? Your faces are really red…"

Dawn started sweat dropping, but quickly stood up and put her arm on his shoulder. "Red? Maybe something's wrong with your eyesight. Let's go and discuss about the proof we found so far!" Dawn said.

Kenny just hesitated, while Dawn turned around and mouthed, _thank you, _then winked.I guess I looked really confused, because she laughed, and grabbed Kenny's hand and ran towards the building.

I sighed, grabbed my bag and her bag (which she forgot) and both our campus cells, then followed Dawn and Kenny from behind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! It's winonabcd here. It's actually my first time doing an author's note in the middle of the story. Actually, my first author's not ever. Anyways, I just wanted to reply my last four reviews - in public, cuz some of users disabled their PM. Anyways, here I go:**

**Blaaaziken: yeahh I sorta figured that out. But after ur review, I got an awesome idea for the real culprit of the story. ;) Thanks for reviewing and for the inspiration!**

**DaisyPearl: You're welcome! And thanks for reading!**

**EmpoleonLv.100: Yeah, he was framed :D I got the idea after I wrote my last pearshipping, the one before this one. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter :D Thanks for reviewing!  
><strong>

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><p>I practically stared at Dawn for the past 50 minutes. She sat right across from me, and I couldn't help but stare into her deep sapphire eyes. Honestly, I swear those eyes make me feel as if I had just been electrocuted. The make a jolt of electricity sneak behind me and down my spine, but in a good way. It makes me wanna stare into them even more.<p>

No one was really paying attention to me. Not even the teacher, who just happen to be Prof. Rowan. What I don't get is why all the professors at school are named after a tree. I mean, Oak, Birch, Juniper, Rowan, Elm… seriously? Not cool. If I were them, I would be embarrassed by my last name. I wonder what my last name means. Hope it's not a tree, or something lame.

"Mr. Ketchum, do you have a problem?" Prof. Rowan asked me.

Really? You just now realized I wasn't paying attention to your dumb lecture for the past 50 minutes? Wow, you _are _lame. "No sir. I just… didn't really get what you were saying about…" I paused to read the blackboard. "_Pokémon Evolutions – Why Certain Pokémon Need Certain Stones to Evolve". _Whoa, long topic. "I didn't get why an Eevee is able to evolve to six different types," I lied.

Prof. Rowan sighed. "Can anyone answer Mr. Ketchum's question? Anyone _who had been paying attention_?" Prof. Rowan asked specifically.

I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking. I noticed Dawn raising her hand. Prof. Rowan ignored her, and chose some other kid from the back of the room. I was filled with rage. Just because I was accused of stealing something I didn't steal, doesn't mean you can ignore my best girl friend!

The bell rang right then. "Alright everyone. You can leave, but there's an assignment due until Friday," he announced, while sorting his papers. Does this guy seriously wanna put pressure on me? I already have enough work – I needed to clear my name before Friday!

Everyone in the class groaned. "Your assignment is to write a report about _all_ the evolutions of an Eevee – including the Eevee itself." More groaning. "AND it must be at least 15 pages long!" Dude! You're killing me! And seriously, due 'till Friday!

Prof. Rowan's eyes were glaring at me for some reason. "AND I mean it. It MUST be due on FRIDAY. No ifs, buts, whatsoever. That is all. You are dismissed."

As I walked out the door, it seemed as if his eyes were glaring at me, specifically me. Dawn pulled me closer to her, and whispered, "Did you see that? He was glaring at you!"

"He probably wants me kicked out," I mumbled.

"Don't think like that."

"I mean, what are the odds? He's _glaring _at me."

"…"

"And he practically ignored you," I said, grabbing her wrist to avoid cheerleaders everywhere. Some of them tried to flirt with me.

"I guess," she shrugged.

"He's putting so much pressure on me! He knows I have until Friday to clear my name, and he's telling us to write a 15-page essay. He's nuts!" I said, frustrated.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Ash. I'll help you out," Dawn said. She looked hesitant about doing something, but chose not to do it.

"HI! How was your day so far?" May practically screamed as Dawn and I sat down.

Drew smiled at her bubbly behavior. Barry just glared at her, as if she was crazy. "Yeah May, scream it loud," he joked.

May slapped his arm. Drew smiled at his girlfriend's reaction. Something tells me that he wanted to kiss her, but felt uneasy to kiss in public.

"My day has gone out really bad," I told them.

Barry stared at me. "Why? You beat me during the festival! What can make your day turn upside down?"

"One word – Rowan," I told them, sitting down next to Dawn who had already sat down next to May.

May looked confused. "He made us write a 15-page essay on Eevee and its evolutions," Dawn said, rolling her eyes.

"Ouch," Zoe said, who appeared at the table. One by one, my friends arrived, sitting down.

"I'm just glad I have Prof. Birch for Science," Misty said, pointing out.

Dawn tilted her head. "What's he like?"

"He never gives us a ton of homework. The only thing he expects you to do is to copy-paste a text on the net about a specific Pokémon, and you're done," Tracey said, high-fiving Misty.

"You're lucky," I heard Kenny mumble. I laughed at that. "But I guess Barry's the luckiest. He doesn't even take Science!"

I looked at Barry with a questioning look. He noticed this, and said, "I didn't want to sit in a stupid class with Prof. Rowan so I signed myself up for Poké SE."

"Poké SE?" Drew asked, confused.

"Poké Science Experiment. It's like Science class except you learn using Pokémon. Evolving them and stuff, so you do safe experiments on them. At the end of each lesson, you give a short summary – about two to three sentences – on what you would like to learn about next. You don't have test or quizzes. Oh, except for that yearly Poké SETs," Leona explained.

Barry nodded. "Poké SETs stands for Pokémon Standard Experimenting Tests. At first I thought it meant Pokémon Science Experiment Tests, but turned out to be wrong. The Poké SETs is basically all the topics you've learned at Poké SE so far. And if you don't pass, you won't advance level. At least level in Poké SE," Barry added. "I'm in Level D and Leona's in Level B." I noticed Barry grumbling at this.

"What's wrong with Level D?" Kenny asked, confused.

"The highest level is Level A. You all start in Level G, and make your way up. Leona here skipped Level F, E _and _D. She's just way to smart," Barry grumbled.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault I love reading books about Pokémon!" Leona protested.

May suddenly showed interest after listening to Barry and Leona explain. "Who else is in Poké SE?"

"A guy named Dre…" Dre, he was taking that class? "A girl named Sarah Evans…" Ugh, the freak. "A guy named Ryan…" Never heard of him. "And a girl named Helen," Barry stated.

"HELEN?" I heard Dawn, Kenny, Drew and May exclaimed.

"Yeah… what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing," they all mumbled. I chuckled. "Is that all?" May asked.

"And two pair of twins I don't even know. They're in Level E," Barry shrugged.

May turned to Dawn. "Do you think I could join Poké SE?" she asked.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You and your lame excuses to get out of Rowan's class." May punched her arm playfully. Dawn laughed.

Suddenly, May's face grew serious. "Dawn, you said you had something to tell us concerning 'The Case'," May said, making air quotes when she said 'The Case'. I shivered at that word. I felt a soft hand on top of mine. It was Dawn's hand, and it was shaking. I guess she was scared as well.

"Uh… A-Ash and I f-found this p-piece o-of p-paper on M-Monday," she stuttered, her hand shaking even more.

This time, I pulled my hand away and put it on top of hers. I squeezed her hand, causing her to calm down a little.

Kenny looked serious as well. "Can I see it?"

I took it out of my pocket, and handed the crumpled paper to Kenny. Kenny read the heading, but was shocked because the rest was blank.

"The rest is blank. Where's the rest?" Kenny asked, flipping the page over and over.

"There's no rest Kenny," Dawn said, staring at my hand, which was on top of hers. She kept blushing.

I stared at her face, then remembered how close I was to kissing her yesterday. I blushed at the thought, and stared at our hands. I kept them that way.

Suddenly, a crumpled paper hit my head – hard. "Ow…" I said, rubbing my head with my other hand (the one that's not holding Dawn's hand). I let her hand go for a while, and bent down to pick up the paper. I looked at Dawn who started to grow pale. I placed my hand on top of hers again. But somehow, this didn't work. "Dawn, are you all right?"

Everybody at our table turned their attentions towards Dawn. "It's _him_," she whispered.

I followed her gaze. Prof. Oak. He was standing in the middle of the caf, staring at me. His gaze was icy cold, as if he was trying to kill me. _No way, _I thought in my head. _Out of all the people on the list I wrote yesterday, I least expected the culprit to be Prof. Oak._

May looked at Dawn, worried. "Dawn, it's just Prof. Oak, no one new," May reassured her, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"NO HE'S NOT!" she screamed. I looked at her shocked, but didn't say a word. I looked at Prof. Oak. He was now staring at us.

"Dawn, we're positive he's Prof. Oak," Zoe and Misty reassured her. Dawn shook her head.

"Is there a problem here, Ms. Berlitz?" a voice said. We all turned around to see Prof. Oak standing behind Dawn.

Dawn sweat dropped. "N-no sir," she replied.

"Good," he said, walking away.

Once he was out of earshot, Dawn said, "He's not Prof. Oak."

"Sure, Dee, whatever you say," Barry said, using her nickname. Dawn rolled her eyes and stood up. She stared at me with her sparkling blue eyes. Her cheeks turned soft pink, as she looked away.

I immediately understood what she meant. I stood up, and began following her to wherever she might be taking me.

"You know, they make a really cute couple," I heard Tracey say to the others.

"Yep, and look how much time they're spending together!" May giggled.

I rolled my eyes and followed Dawn.


	8. Chapter 8

**winonabcd is here again :P I got another review, so yeah.**

**PokemonFreak90: Yeah, I just realized after I read your review. And as for your question on Dawn... the answer is in this chapter :)**

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><p>Dawn continued walking and pulling until we reached her homeroom. Once she stopped, she looked at me with her sapphire eyes. But now they weren't glistening anymore. They were now filled with fear.<p>

"Dawn, are you OK?" I asked with a worried tone in my voice. I could tell I was shaking, and Dawn could too.

She looked at me in the eyes. "Ash, you believe me, right?" she asked, more scared than ever.

I wanted to believe her, but what I saw was Prof. Oak, and nobody special. He wasn't a deadly killer or anything, just my ex-favorite teacher.

I looked into her eyes once more. They were still filled with fear. I looked deeper, and saw they were burning with determination as well. She knew what she saw, and what she saw wasn't Prof. Oak. He could be a killer, a thief. But whatever he is, it's not good.

"I believe you," I whispered, helping her to sit on a chair.

"Thanks," Dawn said, staring at the ground. "Hey, Ash?" she once again looked at me.

"Yes Dawn?"

"Do you still have the crumpled paper that hit your head in the caf?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Take it out. It could be a clue."

I took it out and opened it. "There's some writing here," I said. Dawn stood up, walking next to me.

Watch out. Everything is not what it seems.

I looked at Dawn. Her lips were shaking, she looked like she was going to faint. But she looked brave at the same time.

"We got to find Dre. It seems like he'll know what to do," she said.

I nodded. Why? Because I trusted her.

Dre was sitting in the library, reading a book. Dawn and I walked up to him, hand in hand. She was still scared of what could happen, but she knew she has to face her fears.

Dawn looked at me one final time. I nodded, before continuing to walk.

Just one bookshelf away from Dre, Dawn stopped. She looked at me. Her glowing face looked like it was going to shed some tears.

I squeezed her hand, reassuring her. But it didn't work. Then I remember the first day of the festivals. I was so scared and nervous, but she was always there for me. So I did what she did to me to reassure my feelings - kiss her on the cheek.

"It's going to be OK Dawn. I'll be right next to you," I whispered.

Dawns cheeks were pink. She looked so cute that way. I kissed her cheek again. "No need to worry, right?"

She nodded, blushing even more. She squeezed my hand tighter than ever, and continued to walk.

"Dre," she said.

Dre looked up to see Dawn. "Oh, hey couz."

I was shocked. Dre's her cousin? And nobody in this entire school knows that?

Dawn grinned mischievously at me. "Yes Ash, he's my cousin. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she said, blushing once more.

Dre grinned at his cousin's reactions. "What do you need help for?"

I've never seen Dre like this before. He's so calm, down-to-earth and less shy. It's like he can be himself when Dawn's around. At least they aren't gonna go out. That settles all my worries.

"Thanks for hitting Ash's head," Dawn began. She was about to say something more, but I replied that comment.

"HEY! It hurt you know!" I whispered loudly. We were in the library.

Dre laughed quietly. "Sorry 'bout that," he replied.

"We were wondering how you knew," Dawn said, staring at him.

"Simple, he was wearing a mask. And it was starting to peel," he said, looking disgusted.

Suddenly, the librarian appeared. "If you kids want to talk, please leave the library!"

Dre shrugged, grabbed his books, borrowed a book or two, then headed out the door.

This guy somehow gives me the creeps. And don't ask me why.

Dawn and I followed Dre outside. I guess Dawn realized how tensed I was. She looked at me with concerned eyes, then turned to Dre.

"Uh… Dre? We'll be right back. I forgot something in my locker," Dawn lied.

Dre smiled, then let her go. "Sure. I'm guessing you're taking Ash with you?"

Dawn blushed. "Y-yeah. Do you mind?"

Dre smiled sweetly at her. Is he trying to flirt with his cousin? "Go on," he said.

Dawn and I headed towards her locker. As soon as we arrived, Dawn was the one who let go of our joined hands. "Ash, are you OK?"

I played with my feet. Silence filled the air. I felt eyes watching us, but I didn't care. "I don't feel comfortable with your cousin," I finally said.

"Is that what's bothering you? He's really nice. I'm positive. He lived with me ever since his parents died at the age of 7. He was also there when my dad left. I'm sure he won't do any harm," Dawn said, her hands trembling as she said the word "dad". She had sympathy in her angelic voice.

I was unsure of what to say. I'd love to believe her, but he still give me the creeps. "How long has he lived with you?"

"For 5 years. When he got a 3 year scholarship here, he left and started living with his aunt here in Kanto. So I'm positive," Dawn replied, taking my hand once more.

A jolt of electricity went down my spine. I could suddenly feel the sparks between us. "I believe you Dawn, but I still have my suspects."

Dawn sighed, but just pulled me back to Dre.

"So the couple returns," Dre said slyly.

I blushed at this comment. I look at Dawn from the corner of my eye. She's blushing as well.

"Can we change the subject?" Dawn groaned.

Dre chuckled, then motioned for us to follow. "I saw Oak past by here a while ago. Maybe we could follow him."

I simply nodded, and squeezed Dawn's hand. Dawn squeezed back, reassuring me that everything would be OK.

The three of us followed Oak quietly. Dawn and I were still holding hands. I just couldn't let go of her somehow.

Oak suddenly stopped by a bush, waiting. A figure appeared in the darkness. Short hair, baggy pants, jacket… he looked like a male.

"Did you do your job?" the figure asked.

The guy pretending to be Oak took off his mask. Dawn gasped while Dre concentrated on the guys' face.

"It's Brian. The guy you battled after your first battle."

"I know that," I mumbled.

Brian turned around. "There's what my task," he said, pointing towards us.


	9. Chapter 9

**First of all: sorry I didn't update since a looooong time. I was on writer's block, and I started reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO). I love that series. Anyways, after reading the WHOLE series, PLUS "The Lost Hero", I read a couple of PJO fanfics, and my writer's block was healed. Unfortunately, a NEW idea came to mind... to write PJO fanfics. I was so caught up with The Son of Neptune, I didn't have time to update this. And then I was caught up with The Final Battle, I didn't know how to continue this. So I'm sorry for the delay.**

**Anyways, in this chapter, my writing style has changed. I'm not so much of a laid back writer anymore, more like a writer who likes to write in details. I'm still experiencing writer's block for this story, so this chapter might not be so good. Sorry it's short. At least enjoy it, for me... please? Thanks.**

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><p>Everything happened so fast. The next thing I knew, Brian had us cornered, scrunching us into a tight circle. I held Dawn's hand, as she was trembling with fear. I felt around my pockets, hoping I might find one of my Poké Balls in them.<p>

Naturally, I didn't find one. I looked over at Dre, who _looked_ really scared. But looks didn't fool me. I could see that he was faking the whole thing. No, he wasn't faking it so he could ambush a plan, but something in me told me that he was faking it because he was _part_ of the plan. Not _our_ plan (because we don't have any), but _their _plan, Brian and friends' plan.

Dawn trembled beside me. I saw her hand reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a tiny Poké Ball. Thank Arceus she brought one.

She hid the ball behind her back, and looked at me with pleading eyes. I nodded, understanding what she meant, and took a brave step forward. _Distract them. Just for a little bit._

Dre was glaring at me as I moved from my spot. "What are you doing?" Brian hissed, his eyes boring holes in me.

From his back, Rhydon appeared. It was glaring at me. Probably because Buizel kicked its butt during our battle.

I wasn't taking any chances. Rhydon charged at me at Brian's command, his horn spinning rapidly. I jumped aside, as he continued to drill the wall behind me.

Dre sneered. "Brian, I _told_ you not to mess up!" he hissed.

Dawn was shocked. How could her cousin betray her, just like that? "Dre? What's going on?"

Dre turned his head, and faced her, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "I'm sorry dear 'cousin', but I guess Aunt Johanna has never been clear with you. I'm not your real cousin, dear me. I'm not even your dear cousin Dre! No, I'm his look-alike, Justin, who was created from every single drop of DNA he had years ago."

I frowned. "How did _that_ happen?"

Justin shook his head. "You don't know, do you? Well, _Ash_, long time ago, this high school had Science Fairs, and Dre decided to pair up with a scientist genius – Mark Stanley. Together, they worked on a cloning machine, and won first prize.

"But little did little Dre know that Mark was only using him. He put him the machine as a test run, and cloned him, creating _me_. Mark didn't have any use of Dre, so naturally he threw him away. Who knows where he's now," Justin finished, smirking evilly.

"Piplup, BubbleBeam!"

Dawn's tiny Piplup appeared next to me, as millions of bubbles shrouded Justin, locking him in a weak vortex. Like I said, it was weak, so he managed to get out.

An idea flashed in my mind. "Dawn, distract them! I got an idea!" I yelled at her, and she nodded, telling Piplup to use Whirlpool.

I ran for the dorms, Brian tailing behind me. He noticed me slip past them, and decided to play _Tag_ with me.

I turned around the corner, and slammed the door shut. I quickly searched for a Poké Ball, trying to find Pikachu.

Just in time to. Brian busts open the door, revealing him and his trusty partner, Rhydon. Pikachu lay on my bed, under the pile of blankets, snoring silently, like he didn't hear a thing. I grabbed Buizel's Poké Ball, and threw it in the air.

"Buizel, Water Gun!" I yelled. Buizel popped out of the ball, and immediately used his move.

Brian and Rhydon were distracted, and I decided to make a run for it, grabbing the sleeping Pikachu along the way. I dashed out of the dorms, and ran straight for Oak's office.

"Pikachu, wake up! Help me find the prize money!" I whispered, and searched everywhere for it. Pikachu woke up, looking dazed, and hopped off the table where I had put him, and started scrambling through the cabinets.

I noticed that one of the cabinets was locked, securing whatever inside. I poked Pikachu, who was searching the trash (I still didn't get _why_), and pointed to the lock. Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity. I took that as a sign to give it a command.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

Pikachu's tail glowed, and became as hard as iron, and jumped in the air, doing a somersault in the process. His tail came in contact with the lock, which burst right opened.

Alerts blared, as the whole room changed to red. I quickly opened it, as Pikachu scrambled to my shoulder.

I grabbed the case hiding the prize money, and jumped out of the window, making my escape. I needed to get back to Dawn. She could be seriously injured right now.

Suddenly, someone snatched the case out of my hands without me realizing a thing. "Hey!" I yelled. "Give it back!"

The person smirked as he turned around, to reveal an unknown face. "Thanks for the prize, Ash! I'll see you later!"

I groaned, and watched as the figure jumped onto a small motorcycle and speeding away. I wanted to bang my head on the wall. My plan failed.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, looking at me with concern.

I shook my head. "I'm fine, buddy," I reassured, when something caught my eye. I smiled thoughtfully. My ticket to get the money back.

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><p><strong>How'd you like it? I know it wasn't much. I might be searching for a co-author for this one... like a back-up author who will write for me when I'm busy (In other words, confused). Anyone interested? We can take turns writing the story.<strong>

**Also, if anyone would like to ADOPT The Pokemon High School Chronicles, PM me. I'll give you the first story AND the 2nd story, and you can continue the Chronicles any way you like. Thanks**


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